


Passion, Postponed

by TheSpaceCoyote



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 22:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13690944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceCoyote/pseuds/TheSpaceCoyote
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and much to Rhys' disappointment, Jack is acting like it's any other mundane day of the week. Rhys, frustrated and second-guessing himself, tries to go off to work and ignore the fact that his boyfriend seems to have forgotten about such a major holiday and passed up a chance to spoil him rotten.But has Jack really?





	Passion, Postponed

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to just do some straight up Valentine's Day fluff! So here it is! I hope you guys like it!

Jack was usually the one who made plans. 

Dinners, hotels, flights—anything that needed a preemptive credit card payment. He knew enough about Rhys to make sure the kid’s tastes were always taken into question when he made arrangements, but he was still usually the one who had final say and, most importantly, put down the money. 

So Rhys didn’t even bother making Valentine’s Day plans himself, figuring that Jack would take care of everything as he usually did. When he woke up on the morning itself, he found the bed empty and, with an eager little smile on his face, trundled down the stairs, expecting to find their entire kitchen flooded in decorations with the smell of french toast cooking on the stove—but instead he found nothing but the normal kitchen and the normal table and the normal breakfast of cereal and the normal Jack with his hair just barely mussed into place and his tie hanging still loose around his unbuttoned collar. 

“G’morning, babe,” Jack waved to him idly as he leaned his hip against the counter, listening to the bubble of the coffee maker. Rhys shot him a slight smile, expecting Jack to say a little more, but he didn’t, instead turning away when the bubbling pot dinged. He grabbed his bright yellow mug from the cabinet and poured the coffee, blowing it a few times before drinking it black. 

Rhys skirted around the kitchen, words dancing on the tip of his tongue as he watched Jack’s back. A quick scan of the counters and table found no sign of presents or cards or anything one might expect from their loved one on Valentine’s day. Rhys creased his brows in suspicion, wondering if he should be the first to break the silence on the holiday, but what if his presents were out in the living room? Jack was a reluctant morning person, always needing his coffee before he could pull together his humanity and drive to tackle the day—maybe Rhys’ gifts were out in the living room, and as soon as Jack was done having his coffee, he’d take him there. 

So he kept mostly quiet, pouring his cereal and eating it as he leaned up against the counter, watching Jack as he sipped down the rest of his coffee before upending the mug in the sink. Rhys smiled as Jack turned towards him, quickly swallowing the cereal in his mouth and setting the bowl on the counter—this was it. 

Jack took his hands, grinned, and said—

“Do you know where my keys are, Rhysie?”

Rhys blinked, lips parting in confusion. 

“I—ah, they’re by the plants” Rhys gestured dumbly behind him. Jack winked, sliding over to grab the keys from beside the little glass terrariums clustered by the sink (to best ensure watering.) Disappointment flooded through Rhys as Jack pocketed the keys, though he managed to recover his smile as Jack leaned back over and rubbed their noses together. 

“Love you, babe. I’ll see you after work, ‘kay?”

“Yeah?” Rhys brightened as Jack shrugged on his blazer, buttoning it over his stomach. 

“Yeah. Might be a little late cause I got a meeting at like four, though. And you know how traffic is.”

“Oh.”Rhys’ smile faltered. “Okay.”

Jack even kissed him goodbye like it was a normal day. No extra tongue or butt-grabbing or anything to show off Jack knew it was a special occasion, just a regular old peck on the lips. Rhys tried to keep his disappointment at bay as he waved Jack off, watching through the front windows as Jack’s car pulled down and out of the driveway, glossy finish reflecting the overcast sky as he drove off down the street and out of sight. 

Rhys counted to five—watching and waiting to see if maybe Jack would figure it out, break to a halt and come barreling back with apologies and flowers and a pint of Rhys’ favorite ice cream. Or maybe the doorbell would ring and he’d be showered in flowers and a crisp invitation beckoning him to reservations at his favorite restaurant. 

He waited a minute, two minutes. Three. Five. His only reward was more silence and the distant honking of a car alarm. 

Rhys sighed, sticking out his lower lip as he it grew less and less likely that Jack was going to give him a morning surprise. He kept his attention on his phone, waiting on an apologetic text as he tossed out the now soggy cereal and went to grab some coffee, happy to find his boyfriend had at least had the foresight to brew a full pot of coffee and not drink at all.

Jeez. He was _so_ lucky. 

* * *

Rhys’ lunch hour offered another cup of coffee and a trip down to the food trucks that clustered in the plaza behind the Atlas building. He slipped his phone out of his pocket as he walked out into the sun, the smell of cooking meat and sizzling cheese filling his nose as he open up his text message. His stomach plummeted as he saw nothing from Jack—no “oh crap, I’m sorry I forgot Valentine’s Day Rhys, please forgive me!” or even any kind of cryptic message that might lead Rhys down the rabbit hole of hope to _at least_ stave off the crawling disappointment for the rest of the day and actually allow him to get some work on instead of dwelling on the fact that his boyfriend was a huge jerk and _seriously how could Jack forget Valentine’s Day?_

Rhys huffed, his laptop bag bouncing uncomfortably against his hip as he got into line for his favorite truck, hoping he could distract himself with food. His fingers danced over his phone screen as he shuffled behind a businessman talking loudly on his bluetooth, skating out a couple of messages only to delete them seconds later. 

He finally bit the bullet and tapped something out, hitting send as his heart leapt. 

_Hows work going?_

He looked up, blindly fidgeting with his phone as he scanned the menu pasted to the side of the truck’s concession window. It sold mostly burgers and fries and usually Rhys opted for the dressed salad and patty nudged in the customary paper basket, but today….

Today that double cheeseburger with grilled onions and bacon lardons looked pretty damn good. And fries, while he was at it! Covered in cheese and _more_ bacon.

His phone buzzed, snapping his attention from the menu and his food lust and back down to his phone. He narrowed his eyes at Jack’s message, sticking his lip out.

_p good probs still gonna b late tonight tho._

Rhys heart fell, though he wasn’t sure what he expected. As the day went on and on, it grew less likely that Jack was going to surprise and spoil him with some lavish Valentine’s Day plans. 

_Oh ok. See you later._

Rhys sighed and put his phone back into his pocket, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. 

He could really use that burger. 

* * *

Rhys pushed himself into work as soon as he finished his lunch break, trying to bury himself in numbers and code to forget about how pissed he was at his boyfriend. Unfortunately, the burger wasn’t sitting particularly well with him, his stomach gurgling and twisting and forcing him to go to the bathroom an embarrassing amount of times.

Rhys couldn’t very well blame his indigestion on Jack, but he was going to do it anyway. 

He actually ended up getting off early—whether it was because he’d actually finished enough work, or if his boss had noticed his sullen mood and traitorous stomach—which would’ve been great on a normal day, or if he had plans to night, but considering he had nothing going on but bad feelings he really didn’t want to go home just to sit and wait around and watch television as he waited for Jack to finally get back from his job. 

He glumly dragged himself to his car, stomach still turning from the remains of the burger as he slid into the driver’s seat. He checked his phone anyway, even though he hadn’t felt it buzz since Jack had messaged him back during lunch. 

Of course, there was nothing. Rhys hissed, tossing his phone into the passenger’s seat as he started up the car. 

The endless stop-start of fledgling rush hour traffic hammered further into his annoyance. Any patience he had left was stretched to its breaking point, and when the car in front of him stopped abruptly short and nearly sent his car sailing into its bumper he finally snapped, slapping the steering wheel in frustration and shouting so loud the reverb from his car doors left his ears ringing. 

Finally, _finally_ he peeled off the freeway and sailed into his neighborhood, any of his typical cursory respect for the suburban speed limit replaced by his need to be home and properly stewing in a nest of blankets and ice cream. Maybe he’d even break into Jack’s liquor cabinet and crack into that bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon he kept saying he was saving for a special occasion. It would really show him, and Rhys could get properly sloshed and forget about how every other couple in the neighborhood was probably already well on their way to their Valentine’s plans. 

He dragged his feet up to the door, the clenching indigestion in his stomach replaced by a bitterness that soured all the way up to his chest. The porch light flicked on, even as the sun just barely started to set besides him. He wrinkled his nose, wondering just _how_ late Jack would end up being. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for him to stay up working way past the time Rhys needed to go to bed if Hyperion so demanded his expertise. 

Rhys sighed, adjusting the weight of his laptop bag against his shoulder as he opened the front door.

And then the air exploded.

Rhys squeaked as a pop resounded through his ears and he threw his hands up—terrified he’d accidentally run into a home intruder who was about to plug a bullet in his skull—only for a shower of glittery pink and red and white confetti rained down on him above. It drenched him like snow, catching in the folds of his clothes and peppering his hair as he gaped at the state of his house.

The entire foyer was draped in streamers, crisscrossing the ceiling of the entryway. The pathleading off towards the rest of his home was lined with twinkling baby pink fairy lights that guided Rhys eye, inviting him to explore the sudden festive dream that he’d suddenly been tossed into. 

Glittery confetti shook from his clothes, leaving a garish trail behind him as he carefully stepped through the foyer. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of vanilla and strawberry the walls had been painted with. Beneath that, he could just barely detect the scent of broiling meat and steaming veggies, an odd savory smell undercutting the saccharine aroma that was choking the air inside the home.

Just when he was thinking that some crazy interior designer had broken into his house and drenched the entire thing in cloying decorations, he rounded the corner into the living room to find it in a similar state—draped in streamers, lights, heart-shaped balloons and confetti—but with Jack standing right in the center by the coffee table in a pristine white suite and pink shirt and a blood red tie that somehow still made him stand out even with the glut of similar colors stuffed all around him. 

So, not a crazy person. Just Jack. 

“Oh my _god_ ,” Rhys put his hands up to his face, cheeks blushing to match the decorations as he walked towards his boyfriend on numb legs, completely bowled over in surprise. Jack’s grin grew, knowing and devilish as he opened his arms wide, inviting Rhys in. 

The tension in his chest now completely undone, Rhys quickly fell into his boyfriend’s embrace, burying his face against Jack’s shoulder. He inhaled deeply, rubbing his nose against the white fabric—Jack was wearing that cologne that Rhys endlessly expressed that he loved, the one that’d been discontinued, Jack explained, and thus needed to be rationed out for special occasions only. 

“Easy, kid, don’t get your snot on the tux, it’s new,” Jack chuckled as he patted Rhys’ back. The young man snorted, lifting his head from Jack’s shoulders as he rubbed a hand over his nose, sniffling as he glanced at his boyfriend. 

“Sorry, I just….well, this morning, you didn’t so…I mean, I thought…”

“What? You didn’t think I _really_ forgot, did ya?” Jack’s grin spread, eyes twinkling with mirth. “That’s _so_ not like me.”

“I mean….I didn’t….I just….” Rhys stammered, still a little overwhelmed by the pink and red whirlwind that had stormed through their house, coupled with the fact that Jack _had_ remembered what day it was, after all. 

He shook his head, a relieved smile finally curling on his lips. 

“Should have trusted you’d pull something out of your ass.”

“Out of my ass?” Jack balked, scandalized. “Rhysie, pumpkin, do you think you can just _go to the store_ and get five pounds of confetti _on_ Valentine’s Day? Not to mention everything else? This—“ he gestured about, “—was all planned _weeks_ in advance.”

Rhys chuckled, turning his chin down to pick a bit of confetti off of his shirt. 

“I guess you’re right…I’m a little surprised you didn’t get confetti in the shape of your face…” He squinted at the glittery little piece between his fingers. “It’s not, isn’t it?”

Jack hissed under his breath.

“Aw, _damn_ , that would have been a great idea!” He snapped his fingers in mock frustration. “Gonna have to get those for my birthday.”

“Guess I’ll have to remember to order it custom when that time comes.” Rhys bumped his hips closer to Jack’s, lifting his arms to wrap them properly around his boyfriend’s shoulders. He swayed him softly, to the tune of the romantic music drifting from the unusually subdued stereo, as Jack’s hands rubbed along Rhys’ hips and tugged at the hem of his shirt. 

“There’s a change of clothes hanging for ya in the hall closet, baby,” Jack breathed over his ear, “why don’t you go slip into that before we have dinner?”

“Jack, no—“

“Don’t worry, it’s something _tasteful_ ,” Jack snickered as he pulled away, hand lifting from Rhys’ hip to take his chin in hand, thumb tip rubbing tenderly against his lower lip, “which isn’t to say I _don’t_ have some other surprises set up for when we make it up to the bedroom.”

Rhys shivered as Jack’s thumb darted ever so briefly between the warm break between his lips. Maybe it was the smell of braising steak that’d whet his palate, but he almost stuck his tongue out to get a taste of Jack’s finger. 

_Easy_.

“Food first,” Rhys stated as Jack released his chin, though he still trailed his finger down the bob of Rhys’ throat, “I definitely want you to pamper me with your cooking before i have to do all the work in bed.”

Jack rolled his eyes.

“I’m gonna make you eat those words, cupcake. But only after you eat everything I’ve been slaving over all afternoon.”

He patted Rhys’ back, turning and nudging him in the direction of the hall closet, where Rhys indeed found a perfectly tailored suit instead of some kind of gaudy novelty lingerie. It matched Jack’s with the exception of the bright blue shirt that made him truly stand out against the clusterfuck of Valentine’s colors that had consumed his house. 

Rhys questioned the practicality of white suits considering they were about to sit down to a meal of steak no doubt slathered in one of Jack’s signature sauces, but as Rhys strode out and smiled at his boyfriend and took his hand and let him kiss him and dote on him and lead him to the perfectly set dining room table where Jack had already cracked open the Screaming Eagle and poured it out into their glasses, and as they both sit down to a meal softly lit by candlelight, Rhys finally says it. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Jack.” 

Jack chuckled as he pulled out Rhys’ chair, kissing him on the temple as he sat down. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Rhysie.”


End file.
